Men's Basketball

Troy State opened the second half with a 9-0 run to erase a five-point Duquesne lead and went on to defeat the Dukes 73-69 in the semifinal round of the San Juan Shootout. The win put TSU in the title game against the winner of the Denver/Auburn game. Duquesne will play the loser of that game tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:30 p.m. (EST).

Freshman guard Bryant McAllister led four Dukes in double figures with 19 points, while Troy State's Ben Fletcher led all scorers with 22 points. Troy State jumped out to a 17-9 lead on the strength of its 3-point shooting. The Trojans, who began the week ranked No. 3 nationally in three-pointers made per game, scored their first 15 points from beyond the arc, with Fletcher canning two of the five 3-pointers.

Duquesne rallied behind McAllister's 14 first-half points to take a 35-30 lead at the half. Troy State took advantage of three quick turnovers and some cold Duquesne shooting to build its lead, as Brad Midgley's 3-pointer with 14:08 to go in the game was DU's first field goal of the second half. The Dukes hit four three-pointers in the closing minutes to close the final gap, but could not match the Trojans who finished the game 14-of-35 from the 3-point arc.

Kevin Forney scored 13, Jimmy Tricco added 12 (4-of-11 from the 3-point arc) and Ron Dokes had 10 for Duquesne. Greg Davis was the only other Troy State player in double figures with 17.

NOTES: Duquesne held TSU to 33.9 percent shooting for the game ... the Dukes shot 48.4 percent in the first half, and 33.3 percent (9-of-27) in the second 20 minutes ... McAllister's 19 points surpassed his career high of 16 set the day before vs. Sacred Heart.

QUOTES:Duquesne head coach Danny Nee: "That 9-0 run at the beginning of the second half I felt was significant. That first five minutes we really struggled. We came back a little, but could never get in that rhythm to make a comeback.

"The first half was the best basketball we've played all season. The guards did a great job of rebounding in the first half, but we didn't get the same result in the second half. You've got to make shots against a zone. We did in the first half, and didn't in the second half.

"Troy State is a lot like Noah's Arc, they have three and four of the same types of players, with no significant drop-off. We have to learn how to finish off a game."